Hot Rod Rocks Charts

Wed., Oct. 18, 2006 3:06 PM PDT by David Jenison

Some guys have all the luck—and Rod Stewart is still one of 'em.

The sandpaper-throated crooner's first rock album in eight years, Still the Same...Great Rock Classics of Our Time, has debuted at number one, selling more than 184,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Stewart first topped the charts 35 years ago this week with Every Picture Tells a Story, best known for the hit "Maggie May," and then hit number one again in '79 with Blondes Have More Fun.

But he didn't return to the top spot again until he started covering old standards with The Great American songbook series. Stardust...The Great American Songbook: Vol. III hit number one in 2004 and earned him his first Grammy. All four albums in the franchise have gone multiplatinum.

"The last four years with Rod's five albums have exceeded any fantasy," says Still the Same coproducer Clive Davis, chairman and CEO of BMG U.S. "It's what makes this business exhilarating, unpredictable and totally fulfilling. It's a milestone neither of us will ever forget."

Following the success of theSongbook releases, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer decided to get back to the rock 'n' roll. Still the Same...Great Rock Classics of Our Time features covers of such classics as Bob Dylan's "If Not for You," Van Morrison's "Crazy Love," the Bob Seger-penned title cut and the lead single, a take on John Fogerty's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." Stewart has tirelessly been promoting the album, turning up on everything from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to Dancing with the Stars.

With Hot Rod taking the pole position, Evanescence slipped to number two as The Open Door sold another 164,000 copies, down 63 percent from its chart-topping debut.

After weeks of several Top 10 debuts, only three new entries made this week's upper echelon.

G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks' Rotten Apple opened at three, moving 142,000. Banks is the only Unit member not named 50 Cent to open at number one, a feat he accomplished with 2004's The Hunger for More.

The final Top 10 newcomer was Jimmy Buffett's Take the Weather with You, which sold 121,000 for a number four bow. Buffett's new countrified album follows 2004's License to Chill, which debuted in the top spot.

Speaking of country, Heartland sold 61,000 copies of I Loved Her First to check in at 11. A pair of heavy-rock purveyors, Senses Fail and Trivium, followed. Senses' Still Searching moved 49,000 copies at 15, and Trivium's The Crusade sold 31,000 at 25.

Other notable debuts included Sting's Songs from the Labyrinth at 37, R&B comeback kid Sammie's self-titled album at 42, Robert Randolph & the Family Band's Colorblind at 75, Sister Hazel's Absolutely at 86, the Blood Brothers' Young Matchetes at 92, Now That's What I Call Christmas! Vol. 3 at 94, RadioDisney: Party Jams at 102 and Cobra Starship's While the City Sleeps We Rule at 125.

Total album sales were down about 4 percent from last week and 2 percent from the same week last year, while year-to-date sales are down 5 percent from 2005.

Finally, over on the singles chart, the Janet Jackson and Nelly track "Call on Me" was finally knocked from the number one spot as rapper Jiggs took over with "Chain Hang Low." Here's a rundown of the Top 10 albums:

1. Still the Same…Great Rock Classics of Our Time, Rod Stewart
2. The Open Door, Evanescence
3. Rotten Apple, Lloyd Banks
4. Take the Weather with You, Jimmy Buffett
5. Duets: An American Classic, Tony Bennett
6. Sam's Town, The Killers
7. FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake
8. It Just Comes Natural, George Strait
9. Extreme Behavior, Hinder
10. Release Therapy, Ludacris